Ever watched a promo for The Ultimate Fighter and thought, "man, I wish this looked and felt a lot more like The Voice?" Well then you're gonna love this trailer Spike TV has put up for their "definitely not Ultimate Fighter, but probably really similar no matter what we do" show, Fight Master. I would love to talk to the person who thought it'd be a great idea to have Randy Couture, Frank Shamrock, Greg Jackson, and Joe Warren all look like they're in a luxury suite of a TapouT casino(tm) and have fighters brought to prove themselves in front of them. The only thing missing in this promo to complete the look is a bottle whiskey and cigars.
But hey, it's not exactly like The Ultimate Fighter, the choice is yours... Well, not yours. But the fighters. They choose their own coach (again, The Voice) and their opponent (you mean fighters weren't primarily picking who they wanted to fight on The Ultimate Fighter recently? News to me).
I'll overlook the name for the time being (Fight Master... really? That sounds like a B-action flick that even Brian Bosworth passed on). The choose your own coach aspect has some potential ("So Randy Couture, what exactly can you offer me?"), but it also feels a little gimmicky. We at VERBAL TAP are huge fans of fights, so I'll reserve judgement on just about anything else until we see the first set of prelims.
But if you want to meet the cast, check out the video below. There's 32 of them. One of them does a backflip. That's about all I know so far.
There are also plenty of Twitter handles in the video so you can stalk them all.
So go forth and do good work now, internet!
As you'll see in the video above, Nick Diaz decides to give one of his drunk friends a simulation of what it would be like to fight him in the octagon, only minus all of the taunting and "don't be skurd homie."
A personal favorite is when the art easel falls right on Diaz ("Get the fuck off me easel, this ain't your fight dawg.")
I can't guarantee you this is how the Diaz brothers are celebrating Cinco de Mayo, but, in my brain, this is what it would look like.
Nonetheless, Happy Cinco de Mayo to all of you looking for an excuse to drink the night away. Just remember, tonight everyone's Mexican, which means you're likely to be deported if you're driving through Arizona.
Cheers.
This made me laugh today. If I were single, I'd prolly purchase it myself.
But, since I'm not, I will instead pass this on to all of you and let you do as you please.
It's on a deal for the next 18 hours or so, compliments of our friends over at BJJHQ.
If you get the deal it runs $15 right now. So have at, jiu-jitsu nerds.
And, no, I get absolutely zero perks for mentioning it. Just think it's kinda funny.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=bNkMWvXtI90 Ryan Gosling is working on his MMA skills for his new film coming up. See him doing his best smirk as his ‘fight instructor’ explains how sex is like fighting. There is also like 2 seconds where he works on his jab!
I think the takeaway from this beautifully shot youtube short, is that MMA has a place for everyone. Seriously, my friend Rachel (who doesn't follow much MMA) saw this and said "hey, you should have some things like this on your (verbaltap) website!" Yes we should Rachel, yes we should.
Enjoy.
We couldn't be happier to announce that on the next installment of VERBAL TAP, we will be speaking to Ultimate Fighter cast member Adam Cella (@AdamCellaMMA). Despite getting eliminated early in the competition by a well-documented kick from Uriah Hall, Cella proved to be quite the house and fan favorite with his honest, mid-west wit and impressions of other cast-members (which we will be asking him about).
Some of you may also have seen Cella take the UFC Light Heavyweight champ to the limit in this Ultimate Fighter digital extra.
Additionally, Cella, being ever the great sport that he is, also allowed us to have some fun at his expense with this face.
Faithful Ultimate Fighter fans may recall this as the face that Cella made moments after his friend and teammate Bubba McDaniel (@BubbaTheMenace) lost a preliminary fight to eventual Ultimate Fighter champion Kelvin Gastelum (@KelvinGastelum).
But what we'd like to ask you fight fans is: What's going on here?
Give us your best captioned joke on it and we'll throw it at Mr. Cella himself to select a winner.
So drop us a line in the comment section below and do your best (worst)!
And if you've got a question for Mr. Cella, let us know. We'll be happy to ask!
So when did mixed martial arts suddenly become the trendy way to propose marriage? Right off the heels of a razor thin victory proposal from Benson Henderson in the Octagon two weeks ago, we have this new video that was brought to our attention thanks to the good people over at Tap.Nap.Snap.Your MMA Recap.
During a perfectly normal roll between a couple, the male jiu-jitsu practitioner below decides to pull guard AND her heartstrings.
So... a few questions. And since jiu-jitsu is never a perfect art, feel free to take my observations and notes here with a grain of salt.
- Would an arm triangle have made a stronger selection here? I respect the choice to go for a triangle choke, but might an arm triangle afforded an opportunity to slip the ring directly on the finger ("boom, you're engaged!")
- Was there a plan if she had said "no?" Do you finish the choke if that were the case?
- Wait... in this scenario are you supposed to finish the choke? I feel it's just bad drilling to just release the hold. I mean, how are you ever going to learn the muscle memory for the move without the repetition?
I suppose the part that makes me laugh the most here, is watching the guy scramble for the ring while also playing defense (major props to the corner man who gives his buddy the ring in the ring!). And then when he does actually get the ring, there's an added element of danger of "Wait, is he going to drop that? What if he doesn't set the move up correctly and she ends up passing his guard? What will happen then!!! No one wants a marriage proposal from side mount!"
All kidding aside, we'd like to extend our congratulations to the couple in the video. I personally hope they continue the whole jiu-jitsu theme for all of their wedding proceedings (Oh my God, the wedding officiant needs to be a ref!)
And, I for one, think these crazy kids are gonna make it. Don't they say, "the couple who trains jiu-jitsu together... have absolutely no problem kicking the living crap out of anyone who dares give them a problem?"
Either way, on behalf of us at Verbal Tap, best of luck to you guys and we sincerely wish you all the best!
EDIT | Surprise, surprise. The UFC took down the original YouTube video invoking copyright infringement (they must be fans of the site, obviously, so we're taking credit for that one). So get in on this while you can folks.
Listen, I want to take more pleasure in the juxtaposition that is two drunk Jersey fans fighting to the sounds of “Born in the USA” at UFC 159. I really do. But I’m not in that mood today. For whatever reason, this fight in the stands is not sitting right with me this evening.
Let’s start with the obvious.
This isn’t the first ironic rodeo for one of the Bruce’s signature songs (and I doubt it’ll be the last). Yes, he deserves better. He’s the goddamn Boss. Surely this fact shouldn’t be lost upon Jersey.
Then there’s the fact that security takes its sweet time to get involved in the situation. I honestly wasn’t sure if they were there or not for a great deal of the video. At one point I convinced myself a cop actually said, “Nah, let ‘em work this out.”
And sure, as perennial target for laughs, we should be able to make fun of Jersey. It’s part of what makes them great. They can take it; they’ve got hundreds of other things wrong with their state anyway (see what I did there?).
While you can try to make a larger argument about this being an isolated event, perpetuated by some cheap beer and a number of misunderstandings, the fact of that matter is this: for a sport that continuously has to assure the masses that it’s a crazy exhibition of mindless violence, this makes us all look bad.
We could try to sweep it all under the rug and pretend it never happened, but I’d prefer to make an example of it. If you go to a UFC, don’t be this person. If you know of a person like this, stop them immediately—either from attending or going out in public to watch the UFC.
There are far too many good people who have a great respect for the honor, defense, and respect aspects of mixed martial arts to let this kind of nonsense go down. So today, I don’t run from this, I say let it be the example. We’re better than this.
Certainly, this extends further than Jersey. Same goes for any other state or territory and it’s not to say that any of our hometowns are without blemish. I think any rationale person would argue this is kind of nonsense has no place at an event and in the stands.
And, honestly, I’m a little sad to see this happen here after the an audience made headlines only about 10 miles removed and a couple weeks prior at a post-Wrestlemania Monday Night Raw.
You can skip the formalities and jump right in about the one minute mark. The crowd literally stole the show from the performers and the result added something ridiculously entertaining to the proceedings, dare I say… even smart?
Say what you will about pro wrestling, that crowd was so cohesive in their message of being stupid and having fun, it actually makes for a refreshing change of pace. So much so, that the WWE itself produced that video to show how much fun the crowd was having—and even made me believe Jersey might be a good crowd for UFC 159 for whatever reason. Sadly, the beat down video proves otherwise.
Although, I suppose they might have been drinking because the card was "cursed." Still not a valid excuse.
So congrats, WWE Universe, you win this round; Drunken UFC guy, you’re on notice.
I think at this point and time there are two people in the world: Chael Sonnen fans and liars.
Well, maybe that's not true, but doesn't that sound like something he'd say.
We've had lengthy arguments about the West Linn gangster for some time now. But even his biggest critics have to admit in moments of defeat, Sonnen makes a lot more sense than we'd like to admit.
While I'm giving a free pass to Ken Flo for standing by his UFC Tonight partner-in-crime (who seemingly is just happy to see his co-host alive and makes no attempt to hide how much he wants to gush about it), this interview could have really turned into a self-congratulatory PR stint.
Instead, we get some real admissions from Chael: Jon Jones is better than him, there are a few fights left worth pursuing for him, and even a sound reasoning as to why Jones could be the one to beat Anderson Silva (assuming Chris Weidman doesn't do the job first).
I don't know many fighters who can come out of a loss like that and sound this... dare I say... optimistic about the proceedings. Admitting there were several fronts he was never going to beat Jones at.
This may not erase the multitude of gaffes, illegal wrong-doings or general insults to other human beings and countries that have "crossed the line," but let's be real: there's no denying the bad guy still has a spark in the eye for talking all things UFC. And I still think he's got some things to contribute to the game.
But what do I know? Feel free to sound off in the comment section below. I'll welcome a discussion or even your thoughts on if the decision for Chael to stay at 205 even makes sense.
Check out this article: Explains why NY is trying to ban MMA for moral reasons. Moral Ground Ban on MMA?
I guess if you can't attack Broadway you have to attack someone. Please check out this article and let us know if you are as outraged by this article as we are. Leave comments, Raf and I are definitely talked about this on the next show.
Hear ye, hear ye, everyone. Quiet down for just a sec, your friends at VERBAL TAP have a quick announcement we'd like to make.
At the risk of aliening those used to our normal goofball nature, we hope you'll allow us a moment to get serious on you guys.
What you see before your eyes today is the fruition of our creative efforts. After six months of tinkering with the podcast and accumulating a devoted set of listeners, Kev and I have decided it was time to up the ante. Which is why we are proud to welcome you today to the official website for the VERBAL TAP podcast (VerbalTapCast.com).
That's right. We are now more than just a Twitter page. A lifeless Buzzsprout website. Or a Facebook status letting you know how badly you need to listen to our latest installment. We finally a space to call our own where you can comment, snicker, jeer, cheer, and yell at us. And, to be quite honest, we couldn't be more excited about it.
With the new website, we now have a permanent online presence that allows us to continue conversations about a sport that we all know and love so much. Which means: more jokes, more content, and maybe even an occasional video or two. It’s really gonna depend on all of you and the community we create here.
It's a big day for us and the moment is not lost upon either one of us, as we've had dozens of people who have helped to bring us to this moment.
First and foremost, we’d like to thank all of the VERBAL TAP fans. Many of you have brought such passion and enthusiasm to our podcast, it’s become infectious and has helped bring an energy to the show that we never knew could exist.
I mean, for damn sure, Kev and I never thought legitimate MMA fighters and personalities would get such a kick out of the show. But we'd like to thank all of those who have appeared on the podcast or have sent well wishes for being such good sports about the roast-like nature of the show and getting exactly what it is we're trying to do.
Because at our core, the two of us are MMA enthusiasts who share many of the same highs and lows that come with being avid MMA fans.
We spend our hard earned cash month in and month out to go to bars and watch these PPVs. We both have extremely patient significant others, family members, and friends we regularly put on hold to put this together or live comment during events. We are not full-time journalists who use the podcast as an extension of their articles or make a living reporting on MMA (as it stands Kev and I balance several non-MMA related jobs with our other creative pursuits on the side).
We dedicate our free time and efforts to this podcast because we love the sport, we love the fans, and we've always felt the genre, frankly, lacks the type of voice that we provide.
Our philosophy has always been: if the kind of show that you wish doesn’t exist, you have go out there and make it. There are thousands of podcasts out there. Some good, others not so much. We’ve put in our time and listened to other MMA and sports podcasts only to realize: there isn’t a single one that speaks the same unique language that we do. It’s that can-do philosophy that has wonderfully guided our little show and helped us to build a growing audience.
We’re not gonna bore you with exhaustive recaps of every single punch or takedown, or regurgitate the same news stories and analysis that you can read from literally every other form of social media before your eyes.
We’re gonna make things lively. We’re gonna make stupid jokes. We’re occasionally going to be silly. Most importantly, we're gonna make it our own. Chances are, if you like us (and most people do), you'll probably like a great deal of the podcast—even if MMA isn't exactly your cup of tea. And as long as you guys continue to be passionate about it and spread the word, then we will continue striving to give you the best podcast in existence(tm).
We are keenly aware that there are tons of other things you can be doing, podcasts you can be listening to in your free time, but we will do our damnedest to make sure the podcast feels like a blast—as we are committed to doing this thing as long as it feels fun to all parties involved.
So why not make us a regular fixture on your website viewing habits, won’t you?
Ok, that'll do it for the serious stuff. Back to the normal stuff: Raf's awesome and Kevin's awful. Thanks much, everyone, nothing else to see here, people.
So... you're telling me is that Goldie just doesn't show up on game day and say stuff? Coulda fooled me.
Completely embarrassed to find that Goldberg does 100x the preparation than Kev or I do for this podcast. Yay us!
It's a pretty good day when you open up the mailbox to find two of these waiting for you.
I've been looking to replace my old knee pads for some time and found a fairly decent deal through BJJHQ bout a week ago. Decided it was time for the upgrade.
I've heard nothing but good things about these Brute Wrestling Torq knee pads, so expect a full report after I try these out at jiu-jitsu this week!
Is there a favorite brand of knee pad or equipment that you like using? Let us know in the comment section below!
If you've listened to the latest installment of Verbal Tap (and, really, why wouldn't you have already?) then you know there was a song that shook me to my core. It spoke to me in ways I never thought I could be moved, which is why I am here to share it with you all today.
Just know, you do not have to thank me for providing the following gift of nature. Just please do your part by sharing this page and passing on the magic that is Cora Watson's musical tribute to Georges St. Pierre.
And if someone happens to know Cora personally, get in touch with us STAT. We need to have her as a guest on our show.